The former Governor of Imo State and the Senator representing Orlu senatorial zone of Imo, Sen. Rochas Okorocha has escaped assassination as gunmen attacked his convoy in Owerri on Friday.
The incident happened at Ihube community on the Okigwe -Enugu expressway where a police officer was killed in the attack.
Recall that Ihube axis of the expressway had been under siege of terrorists who had been killing and kidnapping people and travellers for ransoms.
Houses of several politicians in the community had been raised down with indigenes killed while in their sleep.
This situation made many villagers abandon their homes and run to the state capital, Owerri and other places for safety.
Confirming the incident, Sen. Okorocha said that he was said that his covey could be attacked.
Okorocha who was the governor of Imo State between 2011 and 2019 said that the police officer killed was one of the policemen deployed from State Government House to take to the burial ceremony of the mother of the immediate past governor of Imo, Emeka Ihedioha.
Speaking on Sunday at Amaimo in the Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, at the birthday anniversary celebration of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Imo state, Samuel Anyanwu, Okorocha described the killing of the cop as unfortunate.
The ex-Imo governor said that he was returning from Enugu after attending the burial ceremony of the wife of a former senate president, Ken Nnamani.
Okorocha said that the governor of Enugu, Peter Mbah had released vehicles and security men to take him and his team to Imo for the burial ceremony of Ihedioha’s mother.
According to him, it was after he had finished attending the funeral ceremony at Mbaise and the convey had dropped him at his Spilbat mansion in Owerri and was heading back to Enugu that they were attacked.
Okorocha said that he was embittered because he met save in Enugu only to be attacked and a security agent killed in his own state.
”I am angry. I am very angry. I am angry because I spent two days in Enugu and nothing happened to me but it is in my own state that the convoy released to me by the governor of Enugu state ( a very good man) to attend the burial ceremony of Ihedioha’s mother at Mbaise that was attacked and one policeman killed.
“What is happening in Imo state makes me angry. Many people who are running to govern Imo state are not capable but I have seen one man who the cap fits. When it is time I will speak,” he said.
When contacted, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer of the command Henry Okoye for reaction as at the time of filling the report, his mobile phone rang severally, but he did not pick his call.